The latest developer to speak out about the potential of the next generation of consoles is Scott Phillips, Game Director for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Tech Radarrecently got the chance to preview the game and had time to ask how the developer might be able to take the acclaimed series to the next level with the upcoming PS5 and Xbox Scarlett consoles.

In response, Phillips suggests quite a number of ways the series could improve. Here's his conversation:

TechRadar:What do you think next-gen consoles bring to the table? And what would next-gen hardware enable you to do with a series like Assassin’s Creed?

Phillips:Well, I think I can look at what Yves Guillemot said in terms of streamingbeingthe future and more people being given access to these kinds of games because they don’t have to buy one console to play the game on. I think in terms of opportunities creatively, obviously improving things like AI, believability of the world, credibilityandinteractivity; how much you can push and pull the world and how it reacts to you, as well as how we keep the game alive and active for players, because the idea of games having an extended lifetime or extended playtime for the game where you finish it but you don’t necessarily throw it away …arewhere Assassin’s Creed could continue to progress in the future.

Scott Phillips also goes into some more detail to provide a few more examples, but you'll find that over on Tech Radar's website.

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Microsoft's Xbox consoles have been around for well over 14 years and we're willing to bet you didn't know these secrets about the gaming giant?

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Xbox Scarlett - What is Xbox Scarlett?

Xbox Scarlett is the codename Microsoft has given to its next-gen console project behind closed doors.

According to a new report from Thurrott, which has leaked accurate Microsoft information before, Xbox Scarlet is a hybrid project that will feature both a cloud-based box that streams content directly from the internet and a more traditional piece of hardware more generally recognisable as a home console.

Scarlett Cloud, the stream-based facet of the console, will run externally via streaming - think of it as a gaming version of Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

The more traditional part of the project will be a more powerful box than the Xbox One. As per Thurrot's original report:

"Microsoft is building a traditional console that you would expect from the Xbox brand. I think it’s important to point this out so that those who prefer to have all their hardware locally, will have an option with the next generation Xbox."

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Xbox Scarlett - Release date

According to Thurrott, the cloud version of Scarlett is closer to release than the more traditional console model.

Prior reports from the site seem to claim that the next-generation of Xbox devices will arrive around 2020 - though these are strictly rumours at the moment and have not been corroborated by any other sources.

We had official confirmation that Microsoft is working on the device at E3 this year, where Xbox boss Phil Spencer noted the Microsoft engineers are currently working on the next generation of Xbox consoles.

Judging by the timing of the announcement, expect to hear more about these at E3 next year, if not sooner.

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Xbox Scarlett - Cloud Gaming

Fellow gaming website Twinfinite has posted a very interesting think piece weighing up just how capable Xbox Scarlett could be as a console if it does indeed rely heavily on streaming console games to players.

For those who need a refresher, Thurrottreporter Bradd Sams has claimed that Xbox Scarlett will radically consist of two separate consoles, with one a traditional piece of hardware, alongside a streaming box called Scarlett Cloud.

There are, however, quite a few barriers to this approach, something Twinfinite hones in on within their feature. It's certainly worth a read, but here's just a snippet to whet your appetite:

"Internet infrastructure is perhaps the most obvious obstacle cited by game streaming naysayers, and with good reason. Forecasting the future of gaming consoles, Piper Jaffray Analyst, Mike Olson, toldCNBC back in June “eventually, the gamer will just need a really fast internet connection and some sort of internet collection device on the other end, and the gaming (traditional) console will no longer be necessary.”

"The trouble is that most of America doesn’t have a really fast internet connection speed, and nor do many major video game markets. ISPs in both the US and the UK recommend a minimum of 25Mbps for streaming 4K media —both countries average internet speeds do not even breach the global average top 10, sitting at 18.7Mbps and 16.9Mbps respectively.

"Only 21% of Americans have internet speeds equal to or greater than the 25Mbps required for 4K video streaming. Even if Microsoft’s tech-wizardry mitigates latency issues, it should be noted that streaming video games is more demanding than video media, and still likely to require meaty connection speeds."

Anyone remotely interested in the possible direction Microsoft could take their next console would be well advised to give it a read - Enjoy!

7th June 2018 - Ubisoft's CEO - Yves Guillemot - has revealed his thoughts on what the shape of the next generation of consoles could look like.

Guillemot - who has been part of the industry since 1986! - recently spoke to IGN about what he believes the next generation of consoles should deliver to gamers (and how Ubisoft can help deliver on that).

In the interview, Yves notes that the machines will be more powerful (this is a given), but that more power in the console will be pushed towards better streaming experiences. He also doubles down on the fact models will be scalable - that people can choose models that fit their needs.

"The machines will be more powerful and the system to transfer data will be more efficient, so at one point, we will have a better experience streaming something than having to buy a machine and change the machine regularly," he explains.

"We'll have different models. Everyone will be able to choose the model that fits for the type of amount he or she wants to invest. What I'd like is the diversity of models. I don't like one specific way to participate. I’d like to keep different types of approaches so that anyone can play with each other.”

Guillemot also noted that games will become more collaborative, and the line between player/creator will be blurred in some cases.

"We feel it's very important to bring the community into the creation of the game so they really feel more at home when they play. Going to HitRecord was a way to organize those things in such a way that it could work with many people. It's working very well. We are seeing lots of proposals that are fantastic. It's really going to improve the diversity and appeal of the game.

“[In the future], games are going to be really huge worlds. It will be really good to have more creators being able to create environments that will be completely different from what only a team [of developers], even if it's 500 people, can imagine."

It's a pretty utopian idea - and one that could be even closer than we realise.

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Xbox Scarlett - Analyst Outlook

Industry analyst and long-time hypothetical mouthpiece Michael Pachter has conducted an interview with GamingBolt, sounding off about his predictions for the next generation of consoles.

Pachter, who is an analyst over at Wedbush Securities, reckons Microsoft will be next out the door with its next-gen console, beating Sony out the gate and getting the drop on the PS5.

“I’m sure Microsoft intends to launch first, and I am equally certain that the new Xbox will be backwards compatible with any Xbox One X software,” Pachter said in the interview.

“I agree that it’s hard for Xbox One X purchasers, but they should know 4 years into a cycle that there is another one coming. My guess is that Microsoft intends to launch in 2020, but if they think Sony is going [to launch the PS5] then, they will launch early.”

Xbox Scarlett - The end of the Traditional Console?

Could the coming of the next generation mark the end of the traditional, media-based box that consoles have always been? Commentators from around the industry seem to think so.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, EA's VP of strategic growth Matt Bilbey explained that streaming devices could take the place of the traditional console.

"It could be that the console actually exists in the smart TV. Or the next PlayStation just exists on your phone, and that then pushes the experience to all the different screens you have access to," Bilbey posits.

"The console as it exists today, and your TV... In five years time, people will still have them, I imagine, just out of retro [sentiment]. They look good. But in 10 years, they will be in one of the other devices you have."

This sort of setup plays into what we're hearing about both Sony's new PS5 and the new Xbox Scarlett - are you ready for an online-only future?

Xbox Scarlett - Online-Only Future?

To learn more about what we could see in Xbox's future, it may be worth looking at some comments made by Xbox boss Phil Spencer at E3 this year.

In an interview with Wired, Spencer was asked about the reality of Microsoft moving the Xbox platform to a games-as-service model.

"[We're talking] about the technology of taking console-quality games and getting them to any device. When you add in Xbox Game Pass, you start to talk about business model.

"Streaming a $60 game that somebody bought to a phone, I don't know if that's a scenario that a lot of people are going to love [but] the endgame, how can we make sure anyone can play these console quality games on any device, is absolutely part of what we want to do."

These comments seem to reinforce the idea that Mircosoft's Scarlett platform will be focussed on online streaming, and that services like Xbox Games Pass might really round out the content offering the platfrom will provide.

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Xbox Scarlet - When will we hear more?

If Thurrott's predictions of a 2020 release for the new family of consoles is accurate, we can likely see more news about the project next year at the latest.

We're due a hardware-based E3 showing, so it's almost certain Scarlett will make an appearance there.

Microsoft is likely keen to double down on the preamble and launch of this console, considering the Xbox One's shaky launch period, so expect an exciting few years ahead.

It's also possible - though not likely - that Microsoft will drop more hints about the project at Gamescom in August this year.